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Sun CEO: Go Oracle [Internal Memo]

23 points by bensummers 17y ago

po 17y ago
"Sun is a brand, Oracle is your company." Nice take-away quote. I wonder how many employees read these sort of corporate broadcast emails all the way through. That being said, it's interesting to hear Jonathan Schwartz hand the torch off so thoroughly.
- capablanca 17y ago
  I bet they have plenty of time now that they are unemployed.
- gvb 17y ago
  Jonathan wound up at Sun through an acquisition of Lighthouse Design http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lighthouse_Design http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lighthouse_Design. The software from Lighthouse Design turned into a dead end (Java won out over OpenStep). Based on that experience, he has this quote: "And the most effective mechanism I’ve seen for driving that commitment begins with a simple, but emotionally difficult step. "Upon change in control, every employee needs to emotionally resign from Sun. Go home, light a candle, and let go of the expectations and assumptions that defined Sun as a workplace. Honor and remember them, but let them go. "For those that ultimately won’t become a part of Oracle, this will be the first step in a new adventure." Poignant and disturbing. A very sad day for Sun. A very sad day for the tech world.
  - ex-sun 17y ago
    I absolutely agree that is a very sad event in the history of tech world as Sun was instrumental in contributing to the high-tech industry. A highly successful company was brought down to it's knees due to lack of leadership, strategy and direction. The management team is accountable for it's sad demise! Finally, it's easy for Jonathan to say to his employees to go home and light a candle because even if he is going to be out of work he is gaining $17+ million from this acquisition. One word - Irony!!! I wish all the best to all the ex-sun employees!
deleted 17y ago
[deleted]
dailo10 17y ago
Did this make anyone else feel sad?
- bensummers 17y ago
  It's the end of an era. I wonder if Sun's culture of making good stuff and being relatively open will survive in any form.
  - access_denied 17y ago
    > Go home, light a candle, and let go of the expectations and > assumptions that defined Sun as a workplace Sun as a company may be dead, but the ideas and values can live on. It's up to the people in that culture to clarify those and live them. If they manage to do that, than Sun the company was the first era of Sun the culture and the acquisition not the end.
    - lucifer 17y ago
      > Sun as a company may be dead, but the ideas and values can live on. It's up to the people in that culture to clarify those and live them ... (Putting on my remote hypnosis glasses): Repeat after me: "Sun is a brand, Oracle is a company".
- timrod 17y ago
  maybe reading the first letter of each paragraph will make you feel better :).
  - access_denied 17y ago
    Beat IBM. Indeed. Oracle won't nix MS or Goog, but they can walz over IBM and SAP, if they integrate Sun's assets thoughtfully.
- plinkplonk 17y ago
  Damn it is good to be CEO. Drive company into ground, sell it off to someone else, Walk away with millions for your incompetence!

23 points by bensummers 17y ago

po 17y ago

"Sun is a brand, Oracle is your company." Nice take-away quote. I wonder how many employees read these sort of corporate broadcast emails all the way through. That being said, it's interesting to hear Jonathan Schwartz hand the torch off so thoroughly.

capablanca 17y ago
I bet they have plenty of time now that they are unemployed.
gvb 17y ago
Jonathan wound up at Sun through an acquisition of Lighthouse Design http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lighthouse_Design http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lighthouse_Design. The software from Lighthouse Design turned into a dead end (Java won out over OpenStep). Based on that experience, he has this quote: "And the most effective mechanism I’ve seen for driving that commitment begins with a simple, but emotionally difficult step. "Upon change in control, every employee needs to emotionally resign from Sun. Go home, light a candle, and let go of the expectations and assumptions that defined Sun as a workplace. Honor and remember them, but let them go. "For those that ultimately won’t become a part of Oracle, this will be the first step in a new adventure." Poignant and disturbing. A very sad day for Sun. A very sad day for the tech world.
- ex-sun 17y ago
  I absolutely agree that is a very sad event in the history of tech world as Sun was instrumental in contributing to the high-tech industry. A highly successful company was brought down to it's knees due to lack of leadership, strategy and direction. The management team is accountable for it's sad demise! Finally, it's easy for Jonathan to say to his employees to go home and light a candle because even if he is going to be out of work he is gaining $17+ million from this acquisition. One word - Irony!!! I wish all the best to all the ex-sun employees!

deleted 17y ago

[deleted]

dailo10 17y ago

Did this make anyone else feel sad?

bensummers 17y ago
It's the end of an era. I wonder if Sun's culture of making good stuff and being relatively open will survive in any form.
- access_denied 17y ago
  > Go home, light a candle, and let go of the expectations and > assumptions that defined Sun as a workplace Sun as a company may be dead, but the ideas and values can live on. It's up to the people in that culture to clarify those and live them. If they manage to do that, than Sun the company was the first era of Sun the culture and the acquisition not the end.
  - lucifer 17y ago
    > Sun as a company may be dead, but the ideas and values can live on. It's up to the people in that culture to clarify those and live them ... (Putting on my remote hypnosis glasses): Repeat after me: "Sun is a brand, Oracle is a company".
timrod 17y ago
maybe reading the first letter of each paragraph will make you feel better :).
- access_denied 17y ago
  Beat IBM. Indeed. Oracle won't nix MS or Goog, but they can walz over IBM and SAP, if they integrate Sun's assets thoughtfully.
plinkplonk 17y ago
Damn it is good to be CEO. Drive company into ground, sell it off to someone else, Walk away with millions for your incompetence!